Devotionals

It is the Second Death that should wake us all up while we are alive on this planet. Once we physically die, our 'path' is established.

Almost since the beginning of time, we have wondered, pondered, contemplated, argued, and fought over this one question; "If God is good, loving, and merciful, why does He allow suffering and pain?". The short answer is, 'He doesn't, you do'! See... suffering is actually a tool that is intended for you specifically, not the world populous in general. Sort of a separating of the sheep from the goats , as we recently discussed. Too often, we want to lump the world (the masses) into an...

Somehow, somewhere, sometime, there is something you will do, or something someone will do to you that will cause you to distance yourself..

The Bible tells me that I should not get weary from doing well, that I should not fret over seeing immediate results, the fruits of my labor, or even just the difference I may be making in this world. Our devotional today is an encouragement about this, and reminder that He does know our labors, He does see our dedication and commitment (not to mention our yearn to follow His will), and He does have a time for each of us. Many times, it feels like 'I am alone' on the journey with the Lord,...

In my life, I have been referred to as ' having the patience of Job ', but there was a younger-years time in my life when I wanted ' now ' things to occur. The whole waiting proposition was rarely considered. As our instant gratification society continues it's technological trend, this makes it harder and harder to Wait For It... Waiting on/for His leading is so very tough to do, and discipline plays a key role in your success, your ability, and certainly your growth in the Lord. There's a...

We don't set out to lose our souls, in fact we are born with our being in a 'lost' state, or 'lost' realm... a disconnect, if you will. Proof is, we work, toil, and 'build memories' trying so hard to 'fund ourselves, justify our presence on this planet, and worse, bring meaning/understanding to the purpose of life... inadvertently trying to fill that ' God Shaped Hole ', as Plumb has voiced. One of the more prominent passages for this is Mark 8:36 , which states; " For what shall it profit a...

So much of our lives seems overwhelmed with a need or want for acceptance, approval, and maybe just simple assurance that who we are, how we do what we do, and the ways we've applied our lives in this world is pleasing to God. Sure, there are many who don't (or claim to not) believe in God... but even they seek approval and recognition for their efforts. Those who do recognize God in their lives, have an assurance from Psalms 16:11 , which states; " Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy...

No, we should not plan to thwart God, we should not set out to undermine His will, His leading, even His calling (on you, or others). Sure, He is The Almighty God, The Everlasting, The King of kings, so who would even try to thwart Him? It'd be an exercise in futility, surely. But, we don't set out to thwart God... it's just what we seem to do. Our devotional today really centers around 'judging', as is admonished in Matthew 7:1 , which states; " Judge not, that ye be not judged. " Now,...

As we recently discussed in The Meaning of Suffering devotional, the painful events in our lives help strengthen us, help lead us, even help us witness and minister to those around us. One of the saddest 'arguments' people sometimes have about God is that He 'allows' the world to suffer, to tear itself apart, to wreak utter havoc on others. But, suffering is actually a personal thing, unique to each of us. While a crowd or group of people may be viewed as 'suffering', it is quite possible...

No, not weight gain; wait gain. They sound the same, but today's devotional is not about our physical appearance and fitness, but about our spiritual appearance and fitness. See, Ephesians 6:12 states, " For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. " All too easily, we fret over our physical lives and toil and struggle through our daily schedules trying so...

Our devotional today ends up showing us how one little letter, the letter 'R', can make such a difference in our lives and in our walk with the Lord. First, we read in Isaiah 61:10, " I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. " I love the "... with garments of...

G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr writes to present a reflection on training our eyes to see God's gifts and respond with thankful hearts.

There are a number of things I dislike passionately, and one of them more than the others; getting the waning a fleeting moments of someone's time for whom I'd waited and waited to spend quality time. Maybe I need or want that person too much, or maybe I value their presence so much that I try to get every ounce of value from our time together. Regardless, when the 'awaited for' time finally arrives, but is cut too short or filled with interruptions and/or distractions... well, my heart...

Granted, feeling thankful about a thing or event is something we naturally do... something of a 'response' to your appreciation of that thing/event, and possibly even an assessment of value (you were given something extravagant, say). But, this thankfulness is an accurate and rather predictable response for this thing/event. Sadness, sorrow, whining and even complaining are the same; rather natural and normal responses to a thing or event. In many ways, these are 'learned' communication...